02-21-2015, 05:48 AM
This was obsolete and very poorly planned right from the start. Two lanes inbound to Hilo and one lane outbound toward Pahoa with the option to open the shoulder outbound during rush hour. Then there is supposed to be a light at Shower eventually to help with the dreaded merge there. It was doomed from the start. Sure it will be a bit better than it is now, and slightly better than it was before they started but it would have been so much wiser to do it right from the get-go and make it four lanes (divided). The county will still desperately need to start on an alternate route or at the minimum a trolley/bike route along railroad into Hilo but that's very wishful thinking. It shall be bumper to bumper from the day it opens during school and rush hour. It will have to be revised before too long anyway and it'll be much more expensive to do it in segments rather than to have done it right. Shame!